Calcium is an extremely important mineral nutrient that helps prevent osteoporosis and softening of the bone. Unfortunately, in today's busy world, many Americans neglect ingesting, either through foods or vitamin supplements, the daily recommended dosage of calcium to minimize the risk of being afflicted with calcium deficiency related diseases. In fact, studies have confirmed that intakes of calcium today in the United States are well below the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDAs) set by the Food and Nutritional Board of the National Academy of Sciences--especially for adolescent and adult females. Further a 1994 National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference has recommended calcium intakes above the RDAs and above the levels consumed by most Americans. It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a need for additional dietary sources for calcium. The present invention fulfills that need by adding high levels of calcium to one of the most popular food products in the world--pasta.
Pasta is an ideal food for such calcium enrichment. It is a healthy food, low in fat and high in carbohydrates--ideal for the nutrition minded population. It has a long shelf life, especially since it has a low moisture content. Furthermore, pasta is easy to prepare. Generally, it is prepared by forming a dough from pasta flour consisting of semolina, durum flour or other types of wheat flour and water, extruding the dough into the desired product shape and then carefully drying under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. But, most important of all, it is a popular food.
Although pasta appears to be an ideal food for enriching with calcium, calcium enriched pasta has not been made and sold to consumers in the United States heretofore. The amount of calcium that has been added to pasta in the United States ranges from 500 mg to 625 mg per pound of product, the latter value corresponding to only 7.8% of the current Reference Daily intake (RDI) of calcium per 2-ounce serving.
Moreover, calcium has been added to pasta products for reasons other than for calcium fortification. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,977 to Hauser et al., describes the use of calcium to form a complex network with a gelling agent for allegedly strengthening the cohesion of the pasta and enriching the stability thereof during subsequent cooking.
It is the object of the present invention to add higher levels of calcium to the pasta product.
However, as with most foods, one cannot just modify the level of one ingredient without concomitantly investigating the effect on the organoleptic properties of the pasta. After all, it is axiomatic in the food industry that the mere addition of an ingredient would have no beneficial import unless the aesthetic quality of the food is accepted by the consumer. The objective is therefore to add the calcium to the pasta and, at the same time, maintain or improve the organoleptic properties of the pasta, including color, texture, firmness, taste, stickiness, compressibility, and the like.
The present inventors have developed such a pasta product containing a calcium level up to 100% of the RDI and higher while still maintaining the organoleptic characteristics of pasta so that it is acceptable to consumers.